Halo of the Force
by siccarith
Summary: Pushed to desperation in the war against the Covenant, the UNSC sends a message capsule into Slipspace, containing a distress message and a shard of the strange Forerunner crystal. The crystal warps space to deposit the capsule in the Star Wars galaxy.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

"A distress beacon from _where?!"_

The messenger quailed beneath Chief of State Daala's piercing glare.

"A different galaxy, we believe. Master Skywalker himself found the message pod, and insisted that you needed to see it."

"Exactly what do I need to see? All there is to see is a distress call from an unknown civilization, and coordinates to a different galaxy. Does he expect us to answer it?"

"That's exactly what I expect, Chief Daala." The room's occupants looked up as Jedi Grandmaster Luke Skywalker strode into the room. "A tremor in the Force led me to this message, and I believe it could be catastrophic if we ignore it. Something tells me that billions, if not trillions of lives hang in the balance."

Dalla dropped the file on her desk and leaned back with a harsh sigh.

"I mean no disrespect, Master Skywalker, but your feelings have nearly led the galaxy to disaster in the not so distant past."

"Jacen's fall to the dark side couldn't have been predicted by anyone, and his rise to power was more a result of the corrupt politics at his disposal than any failing of the Jedi. I believe that's part of the reason you were put in power; the galaxy needs a strong leader who will not allow herself to be coerced through loopholes and underhanded deals."

"That doesn't change the fact that the Force itself has been in turmoil lately." Stated Daala, brushing off the compliment. "I may not be sensitive myself, but I've seen the toll it has taken on your Order. How can you be sure this sensation is genuine?"

"Because it is definite. The Force surrounding Jacen was clouded and uncertain, but there's nothing unclear about this situation."

Silence permeated the room for a long moment, broken only by the clicking of keys as the Chief of State paged through files. Finally, she sat back from her desk and shook her head.

"I respect you, Master Skywalker, and I've seen the power of the Force well enough first hand not to doubt you. But the Galactic Alliance simply cannot spare the resources to answer a distress call of this magnitude. How do you even propose to get there? You know as well as I that the gravitational field surrounding the galaxy makes hyperspace travel impossible."

Luke merely folded his hands in his sleeves and answered simply.

"Vector Prime."

Daala raised her eyebrow.

"Isn't that-"

"The sector of space that the Yuuzhan Vong originally used to enter our galaxy? Yes. It was never closely investigated, but it is believed that the gravitational field in that area is stable enough to allow for faster-than-light travel."

"Well, assuming that theory is right, I suppose you have your way out. But we still don't have the resources to fight a war on someone else's behalf. And as much as many people hate to admit it, you are needed here to help defend the Jedi against the growing animosity that Darth Caedus…I mean Jacen, caused."

"I wasn't planning on leading the force personally, and there's no need to fight a war. We're going as reinforcements, and, from what I could tell, the scale of the conflict is nothing like the galaxy wide war against the Yuuzhan Vong. I can't shake the feeling that _someone _needs to go, no matter what. I'll take whatever forces you can spare."

The Chief of State was already back at her computer screen, sorting through the latest fleet reports.

"Who do you intend to put in charge of such a dangerous and possibly suicidal mission? Your Jedi are strong, but it takes a certain kind of daring and crazy to brave the empty void of space between galaxies."

"Jaina Solo." Answered Luke without hesitation.

"Your niece?" Daala looked up in surprise. "From what I've heard, she's still unstable from the fight with her brother. That, and I doubt her parents would be so eager to lose yet a third child."

"Jaina is in her thirties, Chief. She's a mature woman and a powerful Jedi. Her parents can't protect her forever, and besides…she needs something like this. She _is _still unbalanced from the shock of killing her own twin, no matter how necessary it was. This situation will get her as far away from her life here as possible, and give her time to focus on something entirely new. It could be the only way to save her from eventually following the same path as her Jacen."

Daala was once again silent, seemingly absorbed in her work. Master Skywalker could sense a slight fluctuation in her emotions, however, and waited patiently. After a long moment, the Chief of State finally took an empty data chip from her desk and inserted it into the computer, transferring a file to the memory device before removing it and handing it to Luke.

"Alright, you've convinced me on all points. It still isn't a guaranteed thing though. On that chip are files on all ships of the line that are currently available for a mission such as this. I've also included the best mission parameters I could come up with. It is up to you to visit the captain of each ship _personally _and discuss this mission with them. If they agree to go, then they're yours, but I won't order any soldier of the Alliance on such a crazy mission. Don't be afraid to spread Jaina's name around a bit, though. It's a well-known fact that she was the one to take out Jacen, and there's a fair few men who would follow her to the ends of the universe for that. You may take up to two dozen capital grade ships of any class, though I highly doubt you will be able to find that many volunteers. I've also given authorization for up to two frigate or escort grade ships for every one capital grade to be put under your command. The same restrictions apply however: the crew must be voluntary. Understood?"

Luke had already slipped the chip beneath his robe and bowed to the Chief of State.

"Absolutely. I have no wish to send unwilling soldiers into unknown space. It could be dangerous, as well as unfair. Thank you for this, Chief Daala."

Never one to wave off thanks as if one was owed, Daala instead narrowed her eyes at the Jedi master.

"I want updates on this, Skywalker. We have no idea what they're going to find out there. A technologically advanced enemy could obliterate the entire battle group, or they might encounter a small race of creatures that have only barely discovered space travel. The technology of that message capsule makes both possibilities equally likely."

"I understand. I'll tell Jaina to make observing a top priority, above engaging whatever enemy they encounter. If they feel that the enemy is too powerful for their force, then they will be to retreat back here."

"Precisely my thoughts." Daala was now on her feet and pacing back and forth. "It didn't occur to me before, but this expedition could be beneficial to the Galactic Alliance. Contact with an extra-galactic civilization? The only experience we've had with that was the Yuuzhan Vong. And think of what we could have learned from them if they had been friendly!"

"That is also a possibility, though not a priority. I'll be sure to inform the battle group that they should take any chance presented to collect samples of any extragalactic technology. I'll even try to include a science team in the expedition."

Luke, at this point, was clearly making concessions that strayed off the mission's main purpose, but he knew that it would be necessary in order to maintain the support of not only the Chief of State, but the Senate as well, once they caught wind of the mission. A scientific expedition was far easier to explain than a rescue mission for unknown beings.

"See that you do." Agreed Daala, sharing the Jedi master's thoughts on the political value of the scientists. "Now you need to go begin speaking with some ship captains, I believe. Meanwhile, I need to work on getting this mission cleared. Presenting it as a rescue mission is out of the question, but it could be considered an exploratory mission. The extragalactic nature of it could even begin to explain the need for such a large force…"

The Chief of State continued musing to herself even as the Jedi Grandmaster bowed and strode from the room. He had fought against Daala, several times over the long years. She was a brilliant, ruthless tactician, and had become every bit as cunning in a negotiations chamber during her time in politics. He was certain that she could get him what he needed. All that was left to him, now, was to convince the commanding officers and crew of a dozen capital ships to follow the sister of a deranged Sith Lord out of the galaxy and into another, where the Force only knew how many vicious monsters awaited their arrival. _No_, _nothing to worry about at all, _he thought to himself.

__

As it turned out, there really WAS something to worry about. Out of the several dozen cruisers he boarded and crews he spoke with, only six were willing to undertake such a vaguely defined and dangerous mission. Aside from the full compliment of starfighters in each capital ship, only ten other combat vessels would accompany the main force. That gave Jaina sixteen ships and several hundred starfighters under her command, plus supply ships and their escort. Not a large force by any means, but it would hopefully suffice. Now the only obstacle that remained was Jaina herself. The young woman would likely prove stubborn and suspicious, fully expecting Luke's purposes for giving her command of the mission.

"…alright, I'll do it."

"_What?"_

Luke had found Jaina in a military hangar, servicing her new _Bes'uliik_ starfighter, a gift from Boba Fett. He had begun explaining the mission to her, fully expecting a fight, but was thrown entirely off guard when she agreed with barely a moment's hesitation.

Jaina simply shrugged.

"I've been needing something to do."

"Not many people agree to leave the galaxy just for lack of something better to do, Jaina."

"Are you trying to talk me out of it?"

Luke raised his hands defensively.

"Not at all! I just want you to be sure of what you're getting in to."

Wiping her hands on a grease-stained rag, Jaina didn't even bother to answer.

"When are we leaving?"

"Tomorrow. The message was urgent, and it may be too late even now. Say your goodbyes today, you'll be expected on the bridge of the _Imperium _tomorrow morning."

"_Imperium_…wow, you managed to pull a _Mediator_-class for this?"

"Only one, but it should be enough. Chief Daala insisted that all crews be voluntary, so I couldn't exactly take my pick. You'll be briefed on the rest of the ships in your group tomorrow, but they should be enough. If you run into anything that you can't handle, you should be hightailing it back home anyway."

"That's the plan." The young woman finally closed the access panel on her starfighter and stood to face her uncle. "Tell me, how much do you really know about the situation you're sending us into?"

The Jedi Master ducked his head, though whether it was out of embarrassment or frustration, Jaina couldn't be sure.

"I really don't know anything more than I've told you. When I saw this message capsule, I felt a strange tremor in the Force that could only mean that the contents of the capsule were extremely important. When we found it, it contained the distress call and this." He held up a small fragment of what appeared to be a small fragment of crystal, no more than an inch long.

"What is it?"

"I'm not entirely sure. I haven't told Daala about it yet, because I'm sure she would insist that it be handed over to her scientists for study and I need to examine it a bit more before I can allow that. It's strange…this crystal has an incredibly high radiation signature, but it doesn't seem to be actually _emitting _anything."

"How is that possible? Is the radiation contained inside the crystal?"

"That's a possibility, but I haven't had time to find out. Also, the Force itself seems to warp around this thing. It exists in the Force, but it's just…slippery. One moment I'm focused on it, the next it's just gone. Almost like picking up a bar of soap."

"Bizzare…" Jaina eyed the crystal shard warily. "Keep me updated on what you find out about it. It may have some significance that we need to know about."

Luke nodded.

"I'll be sure to. When are you leaving?"

"I'll stay the night on-planet to get my things together, but I'm heading out for the _Imperium_ first thing tomorrow. Mom and Dad are too far out for me to see them before I leave, so I'll just have to give them a call."

"Alright, Jaina. I'll be here to see you off tomorrow morning."

"That's really not-"

"Please." Luke shook his head. "I've trained you all your life. I know better than almost anyone that you aren't a little girl any more. Let an old uncle say goodbye to his niece before she goes off into the unknown."

Jaina's stoic expression softened.

"You aren't an old man yet, Uncle Luke." She said with a smile before bowing slightly and starting away. "I'll see you in the morning, then."

"Morning it is. Good night."

__

Milky Way Galaxy

_Earth Time: 0900_

"Has there been any response?"

"None, sir. But its only been two days since the capsule entered Slipspace."

Fleet Admiral Lord Sir Terrence Hood sighed and leaned back in his chair.

"You can't blame me for hoping." He murmured, half to himself. "That's all this venture is based on, after all."

"Yes, sir." Said the orderly uncertainly from the council chamber floor.

"Hope and foolishness, you mean." A cold voice interjected from across the room. "The odds of the message capsule successfully reaching a friendly recipient are astronomical."

"You are out of line, Colonel Ackerson. The decision to send this capsule was agreed upon by the council as a whole."

"Yes, and I strongly recommended against it! That message has equal, if not greater, chances of falling into the hands of allies of the Covenant and bringing them against us as well! This plan is entirely too unstable and risky to be a sane choice. I demand to know how this idea was brought before the council, and who it came from!"

Admiral Hood brought his gavel down heavily and fixed the Colonel with the cold, penetrating glare that had brought so many lesser men to their knees.

"That is _precisely _what we have met to discuss, Colonel. The identity of the man who suggested this was kept secret to ensure a fair vote, avoiding any favoritism or… bigotry. But now the capsule is too far gone for anything to change, and the plan can be explained in full." He raised his voice. "Master Chief! Please enter."

The doors opened instantly and Master Chief John-117, possibly the sole surviving SPARTAN II, entered the room. He maintained stiff military formality as he approached, but any observer could tell that he was as uncomfortable as ever outside his heavy combat armor.

"At ease, Chief."

John relaxed a fraction of a hair.

"Reporting as ordered, sir."

"Yes, Chief. We want to talk to you about Operation 'All or Nothing'."

Ackerson was instantly on his feet, eyes glinting angrily.

"You mean to tell me that this ridiculous scheme came from _HIM_?"

"Watch yourself, Colonel." Hood growled. "We've hardly tolerated your insults to the SPARTAN program before, and we certainly won't now. -117, proceed."

"Yes, sir. Where would you like me to start?"

"How about where you came up with this harebrained notion?" muttered Ackerson, but John took it in stride.

"The idea itself wasn't entirely mine. I knew we needed help, but didn't know how to get it." He reached into his breast pocket and pulled out a small memory chip. "Cortana was the one who suggested the message capsule and the Forerunner crystal shard inside it."

"Crystal shard?" at this, even Hood looked surprised. "What crystal shard? That wasn't involved in the mission plan you gave me."

"Perhaps it would be easier for her to explain it herself, sir." Said the Master Chief calmly while inserting the chip into the room's holotank. A holographic woman, nude, though it was impossible to tell through the streams of data coursing up and down her body, instantly appeared and began chastising the SPARTAN.

"_Finally_ you let me out. You know how much I hate being cramped up in those discs. Why, if I didn't know better I'd-"

"Cortana, now isn't the time." Interrupted John.

The Artificial Intelligence paused and glanced around the room for the first time, finally noting its occupants.

"Oh!" though a machine, she still had the grace to blush faintly, a pinkish purple tinge staining her cheeks. "Apologies, sir!"

"That's quite alright, Cortana." Replied Admiral Hood, fighting back a smile at the AI's antics. "We've brought you and John here to explain in full your distress call plan."

The data streams composing Cortana's body, agitated after her embarrassment, quickly calmed.

"It seemed logical enough to me, sir." She began. "Humankind has always believed there to be life in the galaxy outside our species. With the discovery of the Covenant and all the species that compose it, it now is even _more _likely that there are other sentient species that we have yet to encounter. This message was simply a shot in the dark, an attempt that gives us a chance to contact one of these other species and hopefully receive some aid in our war."

"But the _crystal_, Cortana. Master Chief mentioned to us that a shard of Forerunner crystal was included in the message capsule. What could have possibly possessed you to do that?"

For the first time, Cortana looked slightly nervous.

"Well, that was another gamble, sir. I'm sure you read the report on that crystal when it was discovered. Before it was destroyed, that crystal warped Slipspace to a degree that moved us to a location in a matter of hours that typically would have taken weeks to reach. In normal Slipspace, that message capsule would take weeks to even leave UNSC controlled space, much less the known galaxy. So I changed the message to include not only our sector of the galaxy, but also the coordinates of our galaxy relative to the known universe around us. Then I had John include a fragment of the crystal, theorizing that it should have at least _some _of the space and time warping effects that the whole crystal had. It was a risk sir, but no greater a risk than the entire attempt was."

"Indeed." The entire council, as well as the two guests, looked up in surprise when Ackerson voiced his approval.

"You've been nothing but antagonistic this entire time, Colonel." Commented Hood. "Do you mean to tell me you agree with Cortana's reasoning?"

"Her reasoning, yes. Don't misunderstand; I still believe the entire venture is foolhardy. But as you said, it's too late to change anything. What's done is done, and I believe the randomness factor that this crystal shard adds to the mix actually _improves _the chances of success. The further the crystal can take that capsule from our sector of the galaxy, or even universe, the less likely it is that it will be found by our enemies instead of potential allies."

"That is…refreshingly objective coming from you, Ackerson." Said the Fleet Admiral. "And I, for one, couldn't agree more. Are there any left who are not in favor of this small gamble?"

No one in the room stirred. Ackerson met his superior officer's gaze evenly and nodded once.

"Excellent. Master Chief, I'm assigning you to this project specifically. Obviously, that means nothing now, but if a response arrives, I want you to be ready for whatever is required. Cortana, as usual, will be working with you on this. Understood?"

"Yes sir!" John saluted briskly. "I'll keep you updated on the status of the situation."

"Very good. Dismissed."

-117 unplugged Cortana and slotted her into his neural interface before turning on heel and striding quickly out the door. He hurried down the corridors in silence for several minutes before Cortana finally spoke up.

"You're preoccupied, Chief. I can always tell with you."

"I have a lot to think about." He replied out loud, drawing strange looks from the few people he passed.

"You do realize that the chances of this venture actually succeeding are several trillion to one, right?"

John turned the corner and entered his quarters.

"Odds never matter."

"Not to you, no, but they tend to apply to the rest of the galaxy." Cortana shot back wryly. "What makes you think that this will work?"

"Just a feeling, Cortana." The last SPARTAN opened his specially designed trunk to reveal his MJOLNIR armor suit. With practiced hands, he began going through each part, cleaning and taking note of any potentially detrimental battle damage. "Just a feeling."

__

A Galaxy Far, Far Away Coruscant Time: 0600

Jaina rounded the corner at a brisk walk, with just a hint of urgency in her step. Noting her dark flightsuit and the weapon-laden belt around her waist, passers by in the halls were quick to get out of her way. Having declined the personal shuttle that was customary for a commander, she was now responsible for making it to her flagship on time. Being late for the beginning of a mission that could consume months, if not years, would not be a good first impression to make. She made it to the hangar just a few minutes after leaving her room and was in the process of jogging to her starfighter when she saw something odd. Slowing to a jog, she walked hesitantly up to her craft and the small congregation that surrounded it. She recognized her uncle, but Masters Cilghal, Kenth Hamner, Kyp Durron, and Saba Sebatyne accompanied him; all members of the High Council, she realized.

"Am I interrupting something?" she decided to joke as she approached.

Though they obviously had known she was coming, the masters turned as if they had just noticed her approach.

"There's nothing to interrupt, Jaina. You're the reason we're here."

"I could have guessed as much, though I have yet to figure out why."

"To do something that, personally, I think should have been done a long time ago." Replied Kyp with a smile.

The five masters spread into a semi-circle in front of her with Luke at its center as Jaina looked from one to the other, wide eyed.

"Wait…this? Now?"

"There's no better time." Said Luke calmly. "The Galactic Alliance is sending an expedition into unknown territory, to face an unknown enemy and aid a hopeful ally. What better way to go then with a Jedi _Master_ at its head?"

Jaina felt her belt lighten as her lightsaber slowly floated free of its hook and drifted into her uncle's hand.

"Please." He said softly. "Kneel."

Slowly, without taking her eyes off the hilt in his hands, Jaina sank to her knee. Luke breathed in slowly and closed his eyes, calming himself before he finally spoke again.

"When we last stood like this, you and I, I set a great responsibility on your shoulders. The Sword of the Jedi…I wasn't sure why I said it at the time, and I'm not entirely sure even now. But you have become that Sword…for better or for worse. Now you know what it means; the sacrifices that such strength requires, and the will to use it. You stand tall and alone, as I said all those years ago, but others take shelter in the shadow that you cast. The Order, the Galactic Alliance, and the galaxy itself fall under that shadow. It is up to you to stay in the light, to keep others from losing the way. You have always been strong, Jedi Knight Solo. Now, take the honed edge that is your will and use that strength to wield it." A blade hissed to life in each of the Grandmaster's hands, her own purple shaft crossing over his green weapon. Each blade hovered millimeters above her shoulders for a few seconds before closing down. "Stand, _Master_ Solo, Sword of the Jedi."

He extended a hand to her but, when she looked up at it, she was surprised to find that, instead of her lightsaber, his palm was empty. Hesitantly, she took his hand and he helped her to her feet, welcoming her into the ranks of Jedi Masters. Her lightsaber hooked itself back onto her belt, once again controlled by Luke's telekinetic hand, as she stepped back and bowed to the five assembled Masters.

"I will not forget the teachings of the Order, and I will come back ready to serve as the Sword once again."

The Mon Calamari Master, Cilghal, smiled in her species own curious way at this.

"Remember what the lightsaber is to a Jedi, Master Solo. Not a weapon, but a _symbol _of what we stand for. And now, as our symbol, you are going out past the galaxy's edge to worlds beyond. It is up to you to defend your expedition against all comers, and to bring the flame of the Jedi to the rest of the galaxy. The title of Sword of the Jedi will not be here waiting for you to return, because you take it with you."

Again, Jaina bowed, and the Council Masters began to disperse, leaving only Luke and Kyp behind. The younger man smiled and wiped away a mock tear.

"Little Jaina, all grown up now."

Jaina glared at him and swatted him on the arm.

"Watch your mouth, or I'll show you just how grown up I really am."

"You promise?" retorted Kyp with a raised eyebrow.

The newly appointed Master blushed faintly and shoved her old teacher away.

"You wish. Now get going, I've got to get to the _Imperium_ in just a few minutes."

"Always in a hurry." Luke laughed. "We're just here to say goodbye, Jaina."

"Yeah, that's what you said last night, and it turned out to be a promotion ceremony."

Luke looked a bit embarrassed at that.

"Well…I thought it would make a good going away present. And presents are no good it they aren't a surprise."

"Whatever you say, Uncle Luke." Jaina gave Kyp a hug and Luke a quick peck on the cheek before pushing past them to the ladder of her starfighter. "Say goodbye to mom and dad for me when you see them. I sent them a message, but I'm sure would appreciate a goodbye kiss from you."

Luke looked like he'd swallowed a lemon at the prospect and Kyp burst out laughing. Jaina herself only grinned and waved as she lowered the canopy.

"Maybe we should have sent someone else. I'm not sure if the rest of the universe is ready for her." Pondered Kyp as they backed away from the ship.

"Maybe, but I think it's just the opposite. She could be exactly what the universe needs."

Unaware of the discussion taking place outside, Jaina gave them a final thumbs up as she fired up her engines before throwing the throttle forwards and blasting out of the hangar.

"_Bes'uliik fighter, please identify yourself and your destination." _Coruscant flight control crackled over her com.

Jaina hurriedly flipped on her transponder before replying.

"Control, this is Lieutenant Commander Solo, heading out for rendezvous with the _Imperium._"

"Acknowledged, Solo. I believe you missed the promotion ceremony though, because I have you listed as _Commander _Solo."

Vowing to kill her uncle for his endless surprises, Jaina gritted her teeth and managed to refrain from yelling at the controller.

"I'll keep that in mind, Control. Solo out."

"Your bars are waiting on the bridge, Commander." Said the controller, a smile audible in her voice. She was evidently in on the joke. "Have a nice trip, now. Control out."

Jaina rolled her eyes as she cleared the atmosphere and pushed her throttle to maximum as the _Imperium _came into view. The massive cruiser stood out as blot against the starlit background, larger than _Super_-class Star Destroyer at 8.5 kilometers long and the second largest capital ship class in the Galactic Alliance fleet, dwarfed only by the titanic _Viscount_-class Star Defenders. Having been warned of her approach, a hangar bay door already gaped wide in its side and she guided her ship in smoothly. A small guard marched out to meet her as her starfighter powered down, and a stately, elderly looking officer stood at its head as her canopy opened. The moment her boots touched the deck, he stepped forwards and held out a small box.

"Commander Solo, these are for you."

She removed her new insignia from the box and replaced her old symbol of rank with it before saluting the officer.

"Commander Solo, reporting."

The officer returned her salute with an easy smile.

"At ease, Commander. Or would you prefer to be addressed as 'Master'?"

"Commander will be sufficient." Jaina gritted out. Apparently Luke had been all to eager to inform the fleet of her back-to-back promotions.

"Very well. I am Admiral Stacken. I understand that you've been placed in command of this operation, but I will be in charge if the fleet enters a combat situation."

"I can't tell you how glad I am to hear that, Admiral. I'm a pilot, not a fleet tactician. Though I don't believe we have enough here to be considered a _fleet_." Jaina shook his hand briefly.

"Perhaps not, Commander, but we have enough firepower to make any but the strongest fleet think twice before challenging us. If you'll accompany me to the bridge, I'll brief you on the ships under your command before we depart."

"Lead the way. I want to get moving as soon as possible."

A small hovercart carried them swiftly to a turbolift, which deposited the pair directly onto the command deck. The surrounding officers swiftly stood and saluted as their commanding officers made their way to the front of the bridge. There, following a swift flick of Stacken's hand, a scanning officer brought up views from various hull-mounted cameras on screen.

"Aside from the _Imperium_, which is a tremendous force in itself, I assure you, we have five capital-class ships at our disposal. There and there," Stacken pointed to two separate screens, "we have two _Nebula _Star Destroyers, both fully equipped with starfighter squadrons and infantry. And off our starboard bow," he pointed to another, "we have three _Majestic _heavy cruisers, also fully outfitted. We have an escort of six _Warrior-_class gunships and four _Agave _picket ships."

"Not much." Mused Jaina. "But you're right, we can still hit someone where it hurts. What do we have in the way of supplies?"

"We're going to be out there a while, obviously, and no one knows what we'll run into. Chief Daala wants us fully capable of setting up a planetside base of operations, so we're going heavy. The cargo bays on all our cruisers are loaded to capacity, and we have a Super Transport XI accompanied by three _Star Galleon _frigates. We'll have sufficient resources to operate independently for several years, if we can't find the source of that distress message."

Jaina winced.

"Those Super Transports are handy, but they're ridiculously slow. We're going to have a hard time making any progress if we have to hang back to protect it."

"We won't. Our main force is outfitted to be self-sufficient for a minimum of several months. The plan is for us to go ahead and secure the area and possibly establish a base. Our supply ships will follow behind at their own pace and rendezvous with us upon reaching the area. The three _Star Galleon_s are armed heavily enough to escort the Super Transport, and two _Sacheen-_class light escort frigates will accompany them as well."

"Seems like a secure enough plan to me. Are we prepped to go?"

"You were the missing key, Commander. The shipyards worked through the night to load and prep every ship we have. We leave on your order."

"Then you have my order, Admiral. Set course for Vector Prime. We will regroup and go over final briefings there before plotting the final jump."

"Excellent." Stacken turned to the bridge crew. "Notify the fleet, and prepare to jump to hyperspace.

____

A/N: Well? What do you all think? I'm going out on a branch with this story. It's a concept that I've thought would be interesting for a while, but haven't seen anyone do, so I decided to give it a shot myself. I'm not entirely sure where I'm going to go with it, so I'm open to suggestions if anyone thinks they have a good idea. Please review, as it lets me know that people are actually reading this. Even if you hated it, at least tell me why. I can take criticism, as long as its intelligent and not just rambling on how much the story sucks.

And for all you Star Wars/Halo buffs out there, I'm _trying _to be authentic in the timeline here. Obviously the Halo storyline will be shot to hell, but I'm trying to keep in everything I can. If you see a discrepancy in some fact that you think I need to change, tell me. If I can change it without throwing off the story, I'll do my best too, but some things are unavoidable. But hell, that's why they invented creative liberty, no?

R&R!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Milky Way Galaxy

_Reach System_

After one month, three days, and sixteen hours, Jaina Solo could officially say she was sick of hyperspace. The endless blue-white, swirling vortex of light was hypnotizing at first. To all experienced travelers, however, the glow had long since ceased to be novel and had become a mundane part of the ride. One month was a long time, however, and Jaina felt she finally had the authority to say she was _sick _of it. When, after weeks of inactivity, her com finally buzzed, she nearly leapt to answer it and practically sprinted to the bridge after hearing the message. She skidded around the corner and took a moment to compose herself before walking up to the Admiral.

"You called for me, sir?"

The elderly man cast an amused glance over at Jaina. Though she was as much in command of this mission as he, and even after over a month together, the Jedi woman still insisted on treating him as a superior officer. Rank-wise, she was correct, but her assigned status was equal to his, and in fact greater outside of a combat situation. The mixed roles had confused the crew on several occasions, and he could only hope that the situation would resolve itself once the mission truly began.

"I did. We'll be entering real-space momentarily, and I thought you would like to be present during the reversion."

"I would sir, thank you." Jaina looked thoughtfully over at the nearest viewscreen. "What do you think we'll find?"

"I couldn't begin to guess. We already have one communication tuned to the signal frequency that we were given with the message, and with any luck, we'll be able to contact the original senders of the message shortly after arriving."

"Don't forget, this is supposed to be a rescue mission of sorts, sir. We could be dropping into a live firefight the moment we revert."

The Admiral handed her a datapad containing the technical readout of the fleet.

"The though had crossed my mind, Commander. Our weapons stations are already charging, and our shield systems should be operational within moments of reversion. Starfighter wings are prepped, and troops are heading to their landing craft as we speak."

They were interrupted by a navigation officer.

"Sir! Reversion to real-space in fifteen seconds."

"Ah, not a moment too soon." Admiral Stacken sat back in his chair and palmed a control to open the viewport blast shields. "Proceed."

"Yes sir. Reversion in six…five…four…three…two…one…mark."

The massive cruiser shuddered as it decelerated and the endless stream of hyperspace suddenly separated, dividing into thousands of stars.

"Systems online….scanning. There seems to be nothing in the immediate area. Planetary masses are…oh my god. What is _that_?"

"Bring it on screen, Lieutenant." Ordered Stacken calmly.

A moment later, a planet appeared on the main viewscreen. Or at least what _used _to be a planet. The surface was lifeless and appeared battered, even cracked and split in several areas. When a glint of light touched the broken world, a refracted glint drew a gasp from the bridge crew.

"Its _glass_." Breathed one man.

"Eyes on your stations, be alert for anything." Barked the Admiral. Then, more calmly, he looked to Jaina. "He seems to be right, though. Our long range scanners indicate that portions of the planet's surface have been turned to glass, presumably by exposure to extreme heat."

Jaina's face had gone white as she suddenly felt a tremor in the Force. Voices cried out from the dead world ahead and echoed in her thoughts.

"It was alive." She whispered, half to herself. "There was a battle here…and the defenders of this world lost."

"And the victors destroyed the planet." Stacken finished, understanding even though she wasn't talking to him. "It's like the Vong all over again. Lieutenant, compare the coordinates of this world to our main destination."

The navigation officer was only moments at his computer.

"Identical, sir. This is…or _was _the planet identified as Reach in the message."

Admiral Stacken sighed.

"I was afraid of that…we're too late. Take us in closer, we might as well see what we can find about what happened here."

"Wait!" an officer called. "We're picking up the signal frequency contained in the message. It doesn't say anything, but I've traced the signal to an area several light-years away."

"Then that's where we're headed." Stacken decided instantly. "Set a course and inform the rest of the fleet."

"Sir, the coordinates given to us only took us to this location. Jumping to hyperspace in the direction of this signal could easily send us into a star or asteroid field. We have no navigation charts whatsoever."

Jaina suddenly shook herself out of her shocked trance and looked around the bridge.

"Slave the fleet's systems to this ship and give me the helm. I can guide us through hyperspace.

"T-through hyperspace? Sir, I don't think-"

"Save it." Stacken cut off the navigation officer. "I've heard of Jedi being able to plot courses through uncharted hyperspace jumps, though it was a skill few possessed. Commander Solo, this places the life of every crewmember in this fleet in your hands. Are you sure you can do this?"

Jaina was already headed for the nearest helm station, motioning for its occupant to stand.

"I wasn't made a Master for nothing, Admiral. And if we don't do this, then we might as well turn around and head back home. People are dying out there, just like they did here. I can feel it."

Admiral Stacken fixed her with a hard, calculating stare for a long moment before nodding sharply.

"Do as she says. Slave the fleet to ours and prepare for hyperspace. And strap yourselves in, this ride could get a bit rough."

__

Milky Way Galaxy

_Sol System_

Cortana frowned worriedly, looking between the disarmed Covenant bomb and her partner, John-117.

"If you don't mind me asking, what exactly are you doing?" she asked.

"Giving the Covenant back their bomb."

With no further explanation, the SPARTAN launched both himself and the bomb out of the airlock, aiming for a distant Covenant cruiser. As he approached, a timely strike from a Longsword interceptor blasted a hole in the ship large enough for the bomb to fit through, along with its guiding SPARTAN. Once inside, John slapped the panel to reactivate the bomb and hurriedly climbed back out of the hole and shoved away from the cruiser as hard as possible. Seconds later, an explosion enveloped his vision and all he could see was a bright, white light.

__

"_Now _where are we?"

The communication officer checked his instruments.

"The signal originates from within this system, sir. It's being transmitted from…the third planet from the system's sun."

"Helm, take us there. Full sublight burn."

"Yes sir." The helmsman relieved Jaina of the station.

The Jedi Master made her way back to Admiral Stacken's command chair.

"There's a battle going on out there." She said quietly.

"Once again, I've already taken precautions. We'll be at full combat capacity in moments."

As they watched, the blue-green planet slowly grew in the viewscreen of the bridge. Around it, small flashes and pinpricks of light signified an ongoing space battle.

"Tracking two opposing forces." Reported the sensor officer. "But we have insufficient data to correctly tag friend or foe."

"Find the source of that signal, and it won't be a problem."

"Already done, sir. The transmission is coming from an orbital station. It appears to be a weapons platform, supporting a magnetic accelerator cannon."

"Get me a communications link."

The man at the com station worked for several minutes before shaking his head.

'Their communications suite is absolutely nothing like ours. I can't get a link."

"Well damnit, find me _something_. I need to talk with those people!"

"Yes sir. Another few hundred kilometers in, and we'll be able to establish a link using a radio transmitter."

"Get it done." Stacken was now on his feet, pacing back and forth. "That close will bring us in range of the fighting. Is it possible to use the building design of the weapons platform to identify vessels by the same maker?"

Before any of the bridge crew could answer, Jaina laughed shortly at his side.

"Possible? You won't even need to do it. Just take a look at the two sides." She punched a button to enhance the image of the distant vessels. The two types of craft could not have been more different. Those on one side were clearly of the same make as the space station, more boxy and angular in structure, and mostly made from dull grey metal. The opposing force was made up of sleek, rounded vessels, made from an iridescent purple material and occasionally shimmering with energy shields when they took a hit. "I think it's obvious who we're here to help. The message itself said that it was sent on behalf of the human race, and some of those ships look a lot more human than the others."

"You've got a point. Good work, Commander Solo. Lieutenant, send word out to our other ships. Target the shiny guys and help out the boring ones."

The bridge crew chuckled at their Admiral's choice of words before they were suddenly interrupted by a loud crackle and sudden voice.

"_Hello? Who is this?"_

The communications officer winced.

"Sorry, sir. I forgot to patch the radio through to my station. We've made contact with the space station. It's identifying itself as Cairo Station."

"No harm done." Jaina stepped in. Now that they had made contact with their objective, it was her turn. "Put me through on speaker." The officer flipped a switch and gave her a thumbs up. "Cairo Station, this Galactic Federation of Free Alliances Commander and Jedi Master Solo. My forces have come in response to a distress call sent out by the United Nations Space Command. Do you represent this government?"

"_Distress call?"_ The officious voice was suddenly flustered. _"I am an officer of the UNSC, but…wait…who the hell are you?"_

"We are from the Galactic Federation of Free Alliances." Jaina repeated patiently. "We're here to assist in the war against the race you call the Covenant."

"_I…uh….hold on a minute. I need to patch you through to someone higher up than me. In the mean time…if you're really here to help, you might notice that we're a bit busy up here. I don't know who you are or where you came from, but anything you can do would be welcome."_

Jaina smiled slightly, amused at the man's confusion and the subsequent breakdown of his military formality.

"Understood, Cairo Station. Please let your forces know that we're friendly. I'll be waiting for your superior officer. Battleship _Imperium _out." She turned to face the Admiral. "Looks like they're going to let us help them out a bit. Admiral, this is where you come in."

"Thank you, Commander Solo. Lieutenant, what can you tell me about what we're up against?"

"Only observations, sir. The enemy appears to use plasma-based weaponry, similar to the Yuuzhan Vong, but apparently artificially created instead of naturally produced. Masses of plasma are collected and fired using magnetic coils. Scanner analyzation of the projectiles predicts their velocity, density and splash effect are less than the Yuuzhan Vong weapons, making our shielding systems more effective against them. The enemy's shields appear to incorporate both particle and energy shielding into one system, defending against both energy and physical weapons. That said, computer predictions show energy weapons to be far more effective against the shields than projectiles." The officer looked up at his commanding officer. "All told, sir, it appears that we have a technological edge. Our weapons will be highly effective against their defenses, while theirs will be proportionately _less _effective against ours."

"We couldn't ask for a better situation." Mused the Admiral. "Order the fleet to engage. Remain defensive until we fully understand our enemy's capabilities."

The six battleships slowly advanced into the battle. They were at first a source of confusion to the two forces until the _Imperium_ opened up with her hundreds of weapon emplacements on the nearest Covenant cruiser. The enemy ship's shields shimmered for a brief second under the barrage before collapsing and exposing the hull to concentrated laser beams, which shredded the cruiser before blasting it apart. Another Covenant vessel met with a full bank of concussion missiles from a pair of _Warrior _gunships and simply ceased to exist, vaporized by the devastating firepower. This, coupled with the newly applied 'friendly' tag that all UNSC craft received to identify the newcomers, seemed to hearten the defenders and rally them. The Covenant forces, previously eagerly forcing the UNSC forces back, suddenly found themselves on the defensive, withering beneath the might of the determined UNSC defenders and their unexpectedly powerful new allies.

Jaina, meanwhile, noticed the com officer hastily beckoning her over and hastened to don the headset. Instantly, she heard the hails of the UNSC.

"Galactic Alliance vessels, this is UNSC Fleet Admiral Lord Sir Terrence Hood. Please acknowledge."

_One of the big boys._ Mused Jaina. _They must have really not been expecting us._ She pressed the 'talk' button on her headset.

"Fleet Admiral Hood, this is Galactic Alliance Commander Jaina Solo. My forces are here in response to a distress message received several days ago, originating from your government."

"Yes, I'm aware of the message, though honestly, no one was expecting a response, much less reinforcements."

"We couldn't spare much, Admiral, but the forces you see here are at your disposal."

Despite being distorted by the distance between them, the Admiral's tone gave the impression that he was ready to cry with joy.

"Judging by how your forces are handling the Covenant Navy up there, that may just be the best damn thing I've ever heard. If you'll excuse me, however, I have duties and what's left of my fleet to attend to."

"That's completely understandable. I hope to meet you in person soon, Admiral. _Imperium_ out." Jaina removed the headset and moved back to her place beside Admiral Stacken. "We have a meeting with a UNSC Fleet Admiral when this little scuffle up here is over."

"That's wonderful to hear. And this battle is as good as over. If we can avoid any new surprises-"

"Sir!" called the communications officer.

"….it _would _have been smooth sailing from here on out." Sighed Stacken.

"We've detected something strange about the signal we tracked here." The junior officer announced, unaware of the Admiral's annoyance. "Cairo Station is broadcasting the signal, but it appears to be _amplifying _it. The original source is much weaker and is coming from…. approximately ten kilometers off Cairo Station."

Stacken examined the scanner readout.

"There's nothing out there."

"Yes there is…" Jaina closed her eyes and reached out with the Force, sensing a single life form adrift in space. "One person. They must be in an extravehicular suit of some kind."

"And that's the signal source?"

"It must be." Her eyes snapped open. "Sir, you have things under control here. I'm taking a shuttle out to recover the signal source."

Stacken nodded, already knowing he wouldn't be able to convince her not to go.

"I'll handle any dealings with the UNSC until you get back. Try and hurry, though."

As if in response to his plea, Jaina had already left the bridge.

__

The wings of the _Lambda_-class shuttle unfolded as it soared out of the _Imperium_'s main hangar, with Jaina cursing the transport's clumsiness at the helm. No matter how well designed a shuttle was, it could never compare to the nimble dexterity of a starfighter, and that instantly turned her against the ship. Nevertheless, it suited her purposes and carried her away from the combat zone quickly. The space around Cairo Station was calm now, disturbed only by the flash of the massive cannon occasionally firing, signifying the end of yet another Covenant vessel. With nothing but the Force to guide her, Jaina navigated the shuttle through the floating chunks of debris until her sensors came within range of her objective. He or she was unconscious, though the few bio-signs she could pick up appeared normal. Just when she had decided to move in for the pickup, the hailing light on her radio flicked on. She flipped it on and was surprised to hear a female voice, apparently originating from the floating armored being in front of her.

"_Unidentified shuttle, I really hope you're part of that new battle group that just came in system. I've had too much to do to day to figure out what to do about you if you aren't."_

Unnerved, Jaina pushed the button to reply.

"This is Commander Solo of the Galactic Alliance. I'm here to pick up the source of the signal that brought us here, which appears to be you. My scanners show you to be unconscious, though. Are you alright?"

"_-117 is unconscious. I'm an artificial intelligence currently residing inside his armor. I'm sure everything can be explained later, but we need to hurry. There's only a few minutes of air left in here."_

"Understood. I'll have you inside in just a moment."

If she hadn't spent her entire life around her uncle's astromech droid, R2-D2, Jaina was sure she would have been confused by the AI's personality. She was well aware of the quirks that could result from a machine not having its memory wiped regularly, however, and so took it in stride. Instead, she focused on the task ahead of her. _Lambda _shuttles were designed to carry and protect officials or light cargo, not for rescue missions. There were no external airlocks that would allow her to easily retrieve the UNSC soldier and she didn't have and EV suit to go out to him, so she was forced to improvise. Making sure the cabin door was sealed tightly, she hit the control to extend the boarding ramp. The sudden decompression rattled the ship and she could see a few unsecured items fly out, but nothing vital. The soldier was now only a few meters away from the nose of her craft, and catching him inside the exposed main hold would require a kind of precision flying that this shuttle was never designed for. However, it was no ordinary pilot behind the helm. Reaching out with the Force to secure the position of the soldier in both her mind and the space in front of her, Jaina gently nudged the controls, alternating between thrusters, maneuvering jets, and repulsors bursts to move the shuttle perfectly up to the target and allow him to float into the hatch.

"_We're in." _the artificial intelligence's voice crackled helpfully over the radio.

The instant she heard that, Jaina slammed the hatch shut and spun the shuttle around, locking the autopilot on a course back to the _Imperium _before unfastening her restraints and heading back to the hold. Her hand drifted nervously towards her lightsaber as she keyed in the code to open the door. Distress call or no, she couldn't be sure how the man inside would react to her presence. And intimidating would be the kindest word possible to describe the armored suit he wore, so it couldn't hurt to be prepared. The lights flickered on as she entered, revealing the metal mass collapsed that composed the rescued soldier.

"Uh…can you hear me?" she asked hesitantly.

The room was silent for a moment before the artificial intelligence's voice suddenly sounded from the inert body.

"He's still unconscious, but I can. And I believe I should thank you; I likely would have been recovered, but John would have been dead before much longer out there."

"Don't mention it. He's a soldier, same as I am. We watch each other's backs."

"Even from the other side of the universe, it seems." Said the AI. "I'm Cortana, by the way. This sleeping lump I'm stuck in is John-117. I have to say, humans were the last thing I was expecting when I suggested we send out that message."

"We were surprised to find that you were here too. Apparently the chain of coincidences that caused our race to evolve wasn't so improbable that it couldn't happen twice. But other races than humans have come on this mission."

Cortana sounded surprised by this.

"Really? Well, you may want to make sure the rest of the UNSC is aware of that before you introduce them. The races of the Covenant are the first contact with non-human life forms that we've had. Needless to say, they've generated some…anti-alien sentiments."

"I'll keep that in mind." Jaina suddenly took a step back when the armored hulk shifted slightly. "Is he waking up?"

"It seems so. You may want to step back before he's up. Maybe even go back and lock yourself in the cockpit until I've had time to talk to him. He's likely to react before thinking if he wakes up in an unfamiliar area."

"I can handle myself. Try and explain it to him quickly though. I don't want to have to hurt him."

Cortana nearly laughed at the notion that this slim, petite woman could do anything to challenge the powerful SPARTAN II, but stopped herself, realizing that anything was possible from a woman who had come to their rescue from a different galaxy entirely. John stirred again, drawing the attention of both women. His eyes opened slowly beneath his helmet and flickered around, taking in his strange surroundings.

"Cortana, where are we?"

"John, before you do anything rash I need you to-"

Too late. His motion detector flickered red, signifying an unidentified, likely hostile presence. He rolled quickly up to his knees, already pivoting and pulling his assault rifle from his back…only to have it yanked from his hand by an unseen force and deposited on a seat across the cabin, far out of reach.

"You were right, Cortana. He's a bit jumpy."

The AI laughed nervously, praying that the woman wouldn't take offense at the near-attack. Whatever that power was she'd used to disarm the SPARTAN, it was unlike anything Cortana had ever seen.

"Don't worry, he's not so bad once you get to know him." She temporarily shut off the armor's external speakers and hissed to her host. "Be nice! She's in command of a battle group that came in response to our message. She took a shuttle all the way out here away from the battle to rescue little old us, so try not to annoy her."

Not answering his partner, John reactivated the speakers as he stood and turned to look at his rescuer. Closer to one and a half than two meters tall, she was average height for a female human, though fairly small in comparison to John. With brown eyes and hair, the only thing that John found truly distinguishable about her was the glint in her eyes. He'd seen it in the faces of hardened soldiers before, but usually grizzled old veterans, not women still in the prime of their life. Whoever this woman was, she had lived through trials and horrors rivaling John's own, and experienced a number of battles possibly surpassing his own count. His respect for her instantly went up a substantial notch.

"Apologies, ma'am. I didn't know what was going on, but Cortana told by you saved us."

"We traced the source of the signal we were following back to you, so you could say that the signal is what saved you. But either way, yes, I just pulled you in. We're on the way back to my flagship as we speak, and you'll be able to contact your fleet command as soon as we're on board."

"Thank you, the long range transmitter on my armor was damaged. I believe Cortana already told you my name, but…" He extended an armored hand. "Master Chief John-117."

Jaina took it without hesitation, her own hand practically disappearing inside his.

"Commander Jaina Solo."

They shook briefly and stood in awkward silence for a long moment.

"Uh, you can get your gun back, if you want." Jaina gestured, making an attempt to talk. "I don't think you're going to shoot me anymore."

John just nodded once and retrieved the assault rifle.

"What can you tell me about the situation, Commander? The last update I received was uncertain at best, but that was before your forces arrived."

"Covenant forces are being pushed back. I didn't bring a large force, but that seems to be balanced out by the fact that our technology seems particularly effective against theirs."

"Good to hear." John glanced around, but was unable to find any viewports to outside space. "How long until we dock with your flagship? My previous orders to defend the station no longer hold, and so I need to contact command."

"So eager to get back in the field, Master Chief?" asked Jaina with a light note in her voice.

John didn't respond, though his head turned towards the cockpit slightly when an alarm went of from within.

"Fair enough. That alarm was the answer to your question, we're coming up on the _Imperium _now. If you'll excuse me, I need to take us in. Though you're welcome to come up front with me if you want."

"Thank you, ma'am."

Jaina winced.

"Please, Commander Solo, if you insist on being formal. 'Ma'am' makes me feel old."

"Commander, then." John retrieved his assault rifle and returned it to its stowed position on his back. "After you."

With a nod and a small smile, Jaina turned and moved forwards to the cockpit of the shuttle. -117 followed her closely, but declined to sit. It wasn't that he preferred to stand, but he was unsure of the chair's durability. In full armor, the SPARTAN weighed half a ton and most UNSC furnishings crumpled beneath him. Deciding it would be best to avoid destroying as much of his rescuer's ship as possible, he settled for surreptitiously leaning back against the nearest bulkhead before shutting off his external speakers.

"So what do you think?" he asked Cortana in the privacy of his helmet.

"What _don't _I think?" the AI quipped. "I'm sure you know I can process up to a trillion-"

"Think about _her."_ Interrupted John, too nervous about the situation to appreciate Cortana's banter.

Cortana paused briefly.

"Well that's a bit more specific, though equally difficult. Any observations I can make are purely conjecture, based on the assumption that she is indeed an identical race to humans. And even then, depending on the conditions of her galaxy, her emotions and expressions-"

"Just let me know what you have."

"Okay, okay, I was just warning you." She took a deep, though obviously theatrical, breath. "Either she has very good self control, or she is completely confident and assured. I would hazard a guess at a mixture of both; confidence in herself and her ability, but uncertainty of the situation. My psychoanalytical subroutines have collected data on both her facial expressions and tone of voice and have come to the conclusion that she has experienced a great deal of emotional trauma in the recent past. Physically, I would hazard a guess as to her being in her thirties. She's in remarkable physical shape for a woman of any age, and it's not just the fitness of someone who works out. It's the body build of someone who trains daily and puts it to good use in the field. This leads me to believe that her command assignment is a recent thing, and she was previously a frontline soldier before this mission."

"So all in all, you haven't been able to figure out any more than I have?" asked John a bit wryly.

Had Cortana's holographic avatar been visible, he would have seen her flush slightly.

`"My conclusions are based on substantially more evidence than your uneducated guesses could possibly be. The likelihood of all the observations I gave you-"

"But it's still all just guesswork." Interrupted -117 dismissively. "You said yourself, we don't know enough about her to find out _anything _for certain."

Cortana was a bit annoyed, but couldn't help but agree.

"And then there's that strange power she used on you. I couldn't begin to even guess what that's capable of."

"No, but I'm sure ONI will be interested. We'll have to keep an eye on her."

In the pilot's seat ahead of the genetically altered soldier and his artificial companion, Jaina's lip twitched ever so slightly in amusement. Though the Master Chief's armor was sound proofed, ensuring the privacy of his conversation with Cortana, it certainly wasn't Jedi-proof. The Force picked up the minute vibrations resonating in the armor from their voices and carried them to her ears as sound, acting as effectively as a stethoscope. She chose to ignore their suspicions and questions about her, however, and instead announced,

"We're approaching the _Imperium _now."

John took a step forward to get a better view and nearly gasped at the sight.

"It's _huge._" He breathed to himself.

"Approximately eight and a half kilometers." Agreed Jaina. "A _Mediator_-class battle cruiser, the second largest capital class ship in the Galactic Alliance fleet." She then shot him a small smirk when she felt surprise radiating off him. "Yes, I can hear you in there. Most people from my galaxy know better than to talk about a Jedi behind her back."

"Jedi?" Cortana cut off John's apology.

"Force users. Don't you have anything or anyone comparable?"

"Force? Is that what you used to disarm me?"

It was Jaina's turn to be surprised as she felt the honest curiosity in the SPARTAN's question.

"I _feel_ the Force in this galaxy, I know it's here. You mean to tell me that no one has discovered its existence?"

"The UNSC has no data on any strange powers, telekinetic or otherwise. If anyone here has heard of it, they've either kept it to themselves, or its being covered up by the Office of Naval Intelligence."

"That's…strange." Said Jaina softly, realizing that she, as a Jedi, was very much alone in this foreign galaxy. "Well, it doesn't really matter. At least that means the Covenant has no knowledge of the Force either, which gives me an edge on the ground."

"You'll be participating in ground engagements, Commander?" asked John in surprise.

Jaina held up a silencing hand before answering when a hailing light flickered on at the com station.

"_Imperium,_ this is Commander Solo. I've retrieved the signal source, which happened to be a UNSC soldier."

"_Admiral Stacken will be notified, Commander. Continue your approach."_

"Roger that." Jaina flicked off the com while guiding the shuttle towards the hangar bay. "Back to your question. Yes, I'll be part of whatever ground engagements my troops participate in. I can take care of myself, Master Chief."

"Didn't mean to imply you couldn't, ma'am."

The shuttle slipped through the massive cruiser's hangar doors and set down lightly on the deck. Jaina noticed a small guard awaiting her arrival, doubtlessly in response to the UNSC soldier accompanying her, but was grateful to see a medical officer with them as well.

"We have medical staff waiting in the hangar, Master Chief. If you need, we can contact your fleet command for you and your debriefing can wait while your injuries are tended to."

"I'm fine, ma'am. Lead the way."  
Jaina could sense his injuries through the Force. A mild concussion, several fractured ribs and a multitude of burns were nothing to dismiss so easily, but she could also sense the iron will and training holding back both the pain and his desire for assistance.

"Fair enough. Stay close to me, then."

They exited the cockpit and descended the boarding ramp, John trailing just behind Jaina. The guard outside snapped to attention at their approach, watching -117 warily.

"Welcome back, Commander!" piped up the leader.

"Thank you, Sergeant. I assume the Admiral is expecting us on the bridge?"

"Right in one, sir." His gaze flickered over to the giant armored man behind her nervously. "Uh, would you like an escort, Commander?"

"I think I can handle him," replied Jaina with a ghost of a smile.

"I'm sure you can, sir. I just wanted to be sure."

He saluted and the guards stepped aside to let the pair pass. Once making his way past them, John once again turned his gaze warily on his rescuer. While there had been a hint of joking in the woman's response to the Sergeant's offer, he could tell the actual statement had been entirely serious. As was the sergeant's acknowledgement of her. Somehow, despite leaving him fully armed and in possession of both Cortana and his MJOLNIR power armor, the petite commander was entirely confident in her ability to disarm and restrain him should he choose to cause trouble. He had faced entire platoons of Grunts and even Elites who had shown more fear of him than this foreign commander did. John shook his head inwardly; whatever these 'Jedi' were, they were unlike anything he'd ever met or faced.

Unaware of his confusion, Jaina led the SPARTAN to a turbolift, which took them straight to the command bridge. She idly waved off the two guards at the door and led John straight to the command chair. There, an elderly man was surveying tactical readouts of the battle raging outside.

"Ah, Commander Solo." He said, looking up at the arrivals. "Not too much trouble on the retrieval, I hope?"

"None, sir. This is Master Chief John-117. He was unconscious during the pick up, but recovered soon after."

"So I see." The Admiral leaned in closer to the armored man. "You're human under there, correct?"

"Yes sir."

Jaina elaborated.

"The Covenant was their first extraterrestrial contact, sir. The entire UNSC is human."

"Interesting…well, as you can see, the Covenant is not _our _first contact." Stacken gestured broadly around the bridge at the variety of life forms, all watching the newcomer with undisguised interest. "The Galactic Alliance is made up of the majority of sentient species in the galaxy."

"As I already warned Jaina, be sure the rest of the UNSC knows that." A female voice, Cortana, emanated from the armor. "The Covenant has generated a lot of anti-alien sentiment in the UNSC."

Stacken frowned and looked the suit of armor up and down.

"Two of you in there?"

"Artificial Intelligence, sir. She speaks up whenever she has some input."

"Ah."

"Is it possible for me to contact UNSC command, sir? Its likely that I'm needed in the field. I apologize for being so abrupt, but I can't be sure what I've missed while I was unconscious."

"Quite understandable, Master Chief. Commander Solo, assist the Master Chief with whatever he needs. I need to focus on the battle."

"Yes sir. This way, Chief." Jaina led the SPARTAN to the nearest com station and instructed the officer to contact UNSC command. A response came much quicker than before, though the voice was clearly female instead of the first officer they had contacted.

"_Galactic Alliance_ _Imperium,_ this is UNSC _In Amber Clad_. _We've been assigned as field liaison to your battle group until the active combat situation is settled._"

_"Amber Clad,_ this is Commander Solo of the _Imperium_. We have Master Chief John -117 aboard, and he's requesting orders."

"_-117, you're there? This is Commander Miranda Keyes."_

John stepped to the com.

"This is -117, Commander. What's the situation?"

_"We're in control of the conflict in orbit, Chief, but a Covenant ship made it to the surface. I'm already on route to enter the atmosphere and dispatch dropships and marines. Can you get to us?"_

"Done." Jaina said to him softly, while catching the communications officer's attention and pointing from the radio to the SPARTAN and the tactical headset she now wore. Understanding instantly, the officer routed the radio transmission to their mobile equipment. Jaina then gestured for John to follow her while heading off the bridge.

"I'm headed out now, Commander. And I believe we can expect GA reinforcements as well." He checked with Jaina, who nodded affirmatively. "That's confirmed, GA reinforcements. Keep us posted on landing site data; we'll be down as soon as possible."

"Hurry. I don't know how long the city can hold out. We'll need a heavy attack to punch through the Covenant defenses."

"That's what I do. -117, out." Said John, no trace of cockiness in his voice, only unwavering confidence. Then he looked at Jaina. "Let's move."

__

A/N: Sorry for the wait, everyone. I got out about 3/4 of this chapter, then hit a barrage of both work and writers block. Though as much as I hate to say it, it looks like one a week may be about average for this story. Maybe longer, maybe shorter though, I'm not promising anything.

Thanks for the great reviews! Some were helpful, while others were just encouraging. I appreciate both!


End file.
